This invention relates to a method and accompanying apparatus for picking up, loading, stacking, transporting and unloading huge bales of crop material, such as hay, and more particularly, to a multistage hoist assembly, incorporated therein, which efficiently achieves the pick up, loading and stacking functions of huge hay bales.
The development of balers for forming huge hay bales in the field has necessitated apparatus to pick up these huge hay bales, weighing approximately 1800 lbs., for subsequent transport to a storage area. An initial response thereto was a simple hoist capable of picking up a single bale from the field for loading onto the associated pickup truck for transport to a storage area. Mobile forklift-type of apparatus are also used to achieve pick up and transport functions of a single hay bale.
Various multiple bale loading and transport devices arose in a desire to improve over single bale-loading and transport capabilities. These devices included grapple, conveyor and scoop-type apparatus for picking up a huge, cylindrical hay bale and loading the same onto a mobile transport platform. Desirous of transporting a plurality of such hay bales, apparatus arose for shifting the previously loaded hay bales away from the loading area of the transport platform so as to allow for an unobstructed loading of a subsequent hay bale thereon. This rearward displacement of a loaded hay bale(s) has been provided either by an overall tilting of the transport platform, to present gravitational forces to the loaded hay bale(s), or by mechanical devices which push or pull a loaded hay bale(s) along the transport platform and to the rear thereof.
To increase the quantity of small hay bales, weighing approximately 80 lbs., that could be loaded and transported from the field to the storage area, apparatus arose to vertically stack these small hay bales on the transport platform. One such device includes an elevating conveyor that scoops up a ground-adjacent hay bale and directs the same into a rectangular assembly area, as defined by four walls operably movable in directions towards and away one another. This operator-controlled wall motion urges a plurality of small hay bales, deposited therebetween, into a loose stack which is subsequently directed towards the rear of the associated transport platform. Also, "bale wagons" have been developed which use various arrangements of tandemly arranged, cooperating bale-loading tables and/or beds so as to achieve a desired stacking pattern of small hay bales thereon.
A computer-controlled hoisting device, associated with a transport platform, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,943 issued May 30, 1978. This device picks up small ground-adjacent hay bales and stacks them onto the platform according to a predetermined loading and stacking pattern.
Although assumedly effective in their operation, the aforesaid devices are relatively complex structures and have inherent design limitations therein. The multiple bale loading devices have addressed the pickup and loading of huge cylindrical hay bales, but because of the bale configuration, not the field stacking thereof. Furthermore the known bale stacking devices have been utilized with normal rectangular hay bales and thus have not been particularly designed for use with huge hay bales. Accordingly such apparatus do not efficiently address the functons of huge hay bale pick up, loading and stacking on a transport platform and the attendant problems therewith.
In response thereto, I have invented a method of picking up, loading and stacking huge hay bales on a mobile transport platform as presented by my vehicular bale loader having a novel multistage bale hoist assembly incorporated therein. The bale hoist assembly stacks huge first and second hay bales, having dimensions of approximately 8'L.times.4'W.times.4'H and a weight of approximately 1800 lbs., on a vehicular transport platform. This hoist assembly includes an elongated hoist arm, pivotally mounted to a sleeve member longitudinally slidable and rotatable about a support column positioned adjacent the loading end of a chassis-supported transport platform. At the outer end of the hoist arm is mounted an operable grapple device for releasably seizing a hay bale. Hydraulic control of the pivotal motion of the hoist arm and of the rotation of the support column with sleeve member linked thereto, swings the attached grapple device through generally vertical and horizontal arcs relative to the transport platform. Hydraulic control of the longitudinal movement of the rotatable sleeve member with the pivotal hoist arm attached thereto presents a multistage capability to the hoist arm with attendant pivotal and rotatable capabilities.
A first operable stage of the hoist arm, with grapple assembly attached thereto, enables a first ground-adjacent hay bale to be seized and upwardly displaced from the ground, as provided by pivotal movement of the hoist arm, to a height above the transport platform for subsequent horizontal movement, as provided by rotation of the hoist arm, to a point above the transport platform. The first bale is then lowered into contact with the loading area of the transport platform, as provided by pivotal movement of the hoist arm.
A second hay bale is then seized and elevated to a height above the first hay bale as provided by pivotal movement of the hoist arm at its first operable stage and longitudinal displacement of the sleeve member with bale-laden hoist arm to the top of the support column. At this second operable stage, the second hay bale is horizontally swung to a point above the first hay bale for stacking thereon, as provided by rotation and pivotal movement of the hoist arm.
Once stacked, the first and second hay bales are pushed away from the loading area to the rear of the transport platform by a hydraulic ram to allow a subsequent stacking of first and second hay bales in the loading area, as above described. Upon the transport platform reaching a fully loaded capacity, the vehicle is driven to a storage area. A hydraulically-controlled tilting of the transport platform, from the horizontal to the vertical, positions the plurality of horizontally disposed stacks of first and second hay bales into an elongated vertical stack with the rearward-most stack of first and second hay bales forming a base thereof. A grapple assembly at the rear of the transport platform secures this rearward-most stack to preclude undesirable shifting and to juxtapose the first and second hay bales during said platform tilting. The platform is then returned to its horizontal loading position for a subsequent return to the field.
It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide a method and accompanying apparatus for pick up, loading, stacking, transport and unloading of huge hay bales.
Another general object of this invention is to provide a hoist assembly, associated with a transport platform, which provides for pick up, loading and stacking of huge hay bales.
Another object of this invention is to provide a hoist assembly, as aforesaid, having at least first and second stages of operation, relative to said transport platform, for stacking first and second hay bales thereon.
A further object of this invention is to provide a multistage hoist assembly, as aforesaid, for sequentially seizing ground-adjacent hay bales and maneuvering the same through vertical and horizontal arcs, relative to said platform, during each stage of operation to achieve said stacking of first and second hay bales.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a multistage hoist assembly, as aforesaid, having a hoist arm with grapple device operably mounted thereto for seizing said hay bale.
A more particular object of this invention is to provide a multistage hoist assembly with hoist arm, as aforesaid, with said hoist arm longitudinally slidable along a vertical support column and having attendant rotatable and pivotal capabilities, relative to said support column, to provide for a stacking of a ground-adjacent hay bale onto a transport platform during each stage of operation.
A still more particular object of this invention is to provide a multistage hoist assembly with hoist arm, as aforesaid, with the latter pivotally mounted to a sleeve member slidable along a vertical support column and relatively rotatable thereto to provide for selectable stages of pivotal and rotatable movement of said hoist arm.
An important object of this invention is to provide a multistage hoist assembly, as aforesaid, that is rigidly reinforced for use with huge hay bales weighing substantially more than the standard hay bale.
Another particular object of this invention is to provide at least one roller assembly associated with said sleeve member and support column, as aforesaid, to enhance the slidable movement of said sleeve member along the extent of said support column.
Still another particular object of this invention is to provide an alignment device associated with said sleeve member and support column, as aforesaid, to maintain a proper vertical alignment between said support column and sleeve member during the slidable movement of the latter therealong.
A still further particular object of this invention is to provide a multistage hoist assembly, as aforesaid, having a turntable for rotating said support column about its vertical axis for transmission of said rotation, via linkage means, to said sleeve member mounted thereon.
A more particular object of this invention is to associate with said multistage hoist assembly, as aforesaid, a bale transport platform swingable between horizontal and vertical positions with the latter position providing a gravitational unloading of stacks of hay bales thereon.
Another object of this invention is to provide a ram assembly used in cooperation with said platform, as aforesaid, providing for ram-induced movement of stacks of hay bales to the rear of the transport platform
Still another object of this invention is to provide a grapple assembly associated with said platform, as aforesaid, which secures at least the rearward-most stacked hay bales during said swingable movement of said platform.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a stablization assembly associated with said platform, as aforesaid, which precludes tilting of said platform member during said bale pick up and loading functions.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, a preferred embodiment of this invention.